Brandon Hudspeth confirmed as new US Consul General in Lagos

The United States Consulate in Lagos on Friday confirmed the arrival of its new Consul General, Brandon Hudspeth, to begin a three-year tenure. 

Hudspeth, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, succeeds Consul General Rick Swart, who retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in July. 

Now the top U.S. official across the 17 Southern states of Nigeria, Hudspeth previously served as the Political-Economic Section Chief of the Lagos Consulate from 2020 to 2022.  

In his remarks, Hudspeth said he knows the strength of the U.S.-Nigeria partnership and “the extraordinary energy, ingenuity, and entrepreneurial spirit that Nigerians and Americans share.”

The CG expressed readiness to expand U.S.-Nigeria trade and investment, drive innovation, strengthen collaboration in the technology and creative industries, and create new opportunities.

Hudspeth’s diplomatic experience spans Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Washington. He recently served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Windhoek, Namibia. 

The new envoy earlier served as Political-Economic Section Chief in Bamako, Mali; Non-immigrant Visa Chief in Havana, Cuba; and Political-Military Officer in Kabul, Afghanistan. 

He was the Director of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, where he led programs supporting law enforcement, rule of law, counter-narcotics, and maritime security.

In Washington, D.C, Hudspeth worked in the Department of State’s Operations Center, on the Secretariat Staff supporting the Secretary of State, and as a Desk Officer in the Bureau of African Affairs.

The diplomat is a native of Texas and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, where he received a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Economics. 

Hudspeth earned a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School and was an eminent graduate of the National Defense University, where he obtained a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy.